Does your dog/cat eat snow?

[missyburd]

YC's labrador (Bill) seems to love it and is nagging to go out in the garden just to eat it. I've been looking into it and it appears to be a very common things for dogs in particular to do but can be harmful if the animal ingests too much. Also they appear to avoid drinking normal fresh water for the time the snow is about, and thinking about it, Bill doesn't drink anywhere near as much water as he usually does, if any. We've taken to watching what he's doing outside in the garden and distracting him from eating the snow when he gets outside.

As is to be expected the animal expends a lot of energy melting the snow with not a lot of water to be gained once it has done so, so would it be right to assume animals do it just because they like the feel of it, the equivalent of a dog slushie lol

I'm guessing it's far harder to keep track of cats and their feeding habits outdoors but if you're a cat owner have you noticed them doing it?

Anyone had any experience of snow poisoning with their pet?

[the_lone_wolf]

YC's labrador (Bill) seems to love it and is nagging to go out in the garden just to eat it.

Our Collie does it, but she may not be "all there"...

http://i488.photobucket.com/albums/rr243/ktm_wolf/misc/DSC_0477.jpg?t=1262979051

http://i488.photobucket.com/albums/rr243/ktm_wolf/misc/DSC_0478.jpg?t=1262979052

http://i488.photobucket.com/albums/rr243/ktm_wolf/misc/bess_mad.jpg?t=1262979054

[maviczap]

Yes, my Mums old dog which had some Lab in her used to eat snow

She also drank sea water. Crazy dog :p

Sadly passed away long time ago

Our greyhound used to go nuts in the snow, really funny :p

[dirtydog]

Nope Tye just wants to make as much of it yellow as he possibly can

[Speedy Claire]

Oscar definitely doesn`t eat it.... he drinks water from extremely odd places and one of them was always the tops of the solar lights in the garden. They`re now covered in snow and I`ve noticed he`s drinking a lot more in the house so I can only assume he`s not getting any hydration from the snow.

[xXBADGERXx]

Our Collie does it, but she may not be "all there"...


http://i488.photobucket.com/albums/rr243/ktm_wolf/misc/bess_mad.jpg?t=1262979054


Your not wrong

"Look into my Googly Eyes"

[xXBADGERXx]

My Dog only eats it if I roll it up and throw it at her .......... she`s like "Where`s this damn ball keep going to ? Throw me another ......."

[speedplay]

http://i488.photobucket.com/albums/rr243/ktm_wolf/misc/DSC_0478.jpg?t=1262979052

Now thats one smug looking collie:thumleft:

[xXBADGERXx]

He`s looking at himself in the lens and going "Damn ....... I AM HANDSOME"

[DarrenSV650S]

Our dogs love eating snowballs. They'd do it all day if they could

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKd3vDJvK94

[punyXpress]

Our Golden Retriever eats a bit of snow, but also eats more bits of old stick - to balance minerals up ?

[bikerchick82]

Hmmm

I dunno whether the answer to this question is yes by default or no because he doesn't actually set out to eat it....

Zeus (stupid dog, I've never met any dog quite as stupid!) will charge around the garden (it's a big garden, think field with a fence around it) and he's fine ina straight line but he hasn't quite figured out the turning bit yet....He's sort of got this "technique" (I use the word lightly!) where he knows he has to turn so will stay at the same speed (fast) and just drop his front legs and slide on his chest with his nose and gob shovelling up snow.....
Because he doesn't have his legs to "guide" (again, I use the word lightly!) him then he kind of slides around in a curve......Unfortunately he doesn't always get the timing right and has smacked into the house a couple of times :rolleyes:

As for the cat? He's a house cat and will very rarely venture outside (seriously I think he suffers from agoraphobia) I went out with him when we got this second lot of snow and he kinda spread his paws really wide and tiptoed back inside.....You ever seen the cartoon cats tiptoe'ing? That's exactly what he looked like! :smt005

[appollo1]

when are you going to throw this huge snowball for me dad? i've been guarding it for ages now!!

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk145/ricky2001/DSCF1597.jpg

if i jump up i am nearly as tall as you!!

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk145/ricky2001/DSCF1600.jpg

check out the teeth!!! snow doesn't stand a chance!!

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk145/ricky2001/DSCF1601.jpg

look at the snow on my nose honest it is snow

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk145/ricky2001/DSCF1607.jpg

these pics were taken when the snow first fell 3 weeks ago and shortly after running about chasing snowballs the real Appollo decided to go in the house and puke everywhere!! Nice.

[Kilted Ginger]

Yes the 2 pups eat it, lik it, crunch it, they also like ice cubes as did my previous samyoed.

[xXBADGERXx]

Yes the 2 pups eat it, lik it, crunch it, they also like ice cubes as did my previous samyoed.

"This isn`t Baileys over Ice ..... this is left over Dog Slobber"

[fizzwheel]

Yes, but we have Labs, they eat anything...

[Fizzy Fish]

I was building a snowman the other day with some neighbours who have a dog. Every time I picked up a huge armful of snow, the dog ate it in a snow munching frenzy before I could get it onto the snowman. Had me in stitches! :lol:

[Von Teese]

drop his front legs and slide on his chest with his nose and gob shovelling up snow.....

Can he come and do our driveway please?

Back to the OP, Widget bites the snow, dont know if he eats it, he bites water when he is swimming too, and eats grass....strange little dog!

TLW loving your collie pics!

[-Ralph-]

No, but does go a bit daft, thinks you can't walk through it, but have to leap over the top...

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd82/colinbal4/th_CIMG1546.jpg (http://s227.photobucket.com/albums/dd82/colinbal4/?action=view&current=CIMG1546.flv)

[dizzyblonde]

No, but does go a bit daft, thinks you can't walk through it, but have to leap over the top...



Lol...he just wants to be the first to jump on every bit of snow there!

Bob likes to go nuts in snow, he'll play all day with snowballs. Haven't had chance to lose him in a ten foot snow drift yet, on the moors. Will be going up there tomorrow:D

[Well Oiled]

Cat's going mad at times. We've got about 3 inches of snow and she's convinced there are mice or something hidden under it. Pouncing on it all over the place, completely random. Dead funny to watch.

[_Stretchie_]

My Dog only eats it if I roll it up and throw it at her .......... she`s like "Where`s this damn ball keep going to ? Throw me another ......."

Hollie (the brown and white collie does that)

Saffie the lab/rotty finds a deep bit and plonks herself down in the middle of it and just munches through it.

[TazDaz]

One of my dogs does...actually she eats loads of the white stuff. You can hear her belly rumbling etc afterwards - don't think it's good for her!

[Owenski]

Miya does it, she'll catch any snow chucked in her direction. Stupidly if you chuck a snowball she'll chase that... then try to find it when its landed.
She munches the stuff in the garden, her favorite snow fun seems to be putting her nose into it and walking forward ploughing the snow with her snout. When it builds up over her eyes, she stops walking then trys to pounce on it. Very amusing.

[phi-dan]

Hobbes (diminutive / demented butler cat) will spend entire minutes fixating on an individual snowflake as it makes it's was earthwards, pounce on it when it loooks the other way, then come back indoors to tell me it disappeared when he caught it. He gets bored after a few have pulled a Houdini on him and devotes the rest of the day to finding the warmest part of the house to sleep in.

[missyburd]

Hobbes (diminutive / demented butler cat) will spend entire minutes fixating on an individual snowflake as it makes it's was earthwards, pounce on it when it loooks the other way, then come back indoors to tell me it disappeared when he caught it. He gets bored after a few have pulled a Houdini on him and devotes the rest of the day to finding the warmest part of the house to sleep in.
:D